Thursday, April 30, 2009

Under Lock and Key

I'm getting me a shiny new tattoo tomorrow. It marks two weeks sober. Two weeks may not seem like much, but I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I'm also going to schedule time to get my foot text covered up. I also had to reschedule with Danielle for my dove, so that's now going to be done the evening of May 27. I'm so excited. I haven't been this excited for a tattoo in so long. *squee!*

Keep your eyes peeled for pictures tomorrow night/Saturday morning!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

PSA: Bandaging Your Tattoos

As I think I've mentioned, I've been on Yahoo answers a ton trying to spread the gospel of tattoo goodness. What I've noticed more than anything is how many people suggest keeping a tattoo bandaged for more than a few hours and, what's worse, with Saran wrap. In short, DON'T DO IT.

A tattoo is an open wound (duh) and wounds need to breathe. The only reason they're even bandaged in the first place is because of the bleeding. I even use the term "bandaged" loosely because I don't think Saran wrap counts. It certainly doesn't stop the bleeding and it creates a bacteria playground. That aside, once you've had it on for a few hours, let that puppy breathe.

I would only advocate bandaging with actual guaze and then Saran wrap if you know you're going to be getting into something that might cause infection. Yard work comes to mind. Once you're done, take it off immediately. Keeping it bandaged will just slow the whole process down because it isn't getting the chance to heal properly. Ever kept a bandaid on a cut constantly and it took forever to heal? There's a reason for that.

I hope that all my readers (har har) have the good sense to not do that, but I just had to get it out there. Say no to bandaging!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Number 18 &19

Through some weird hiccup of the universe, I'll be getting paid $130 more than I anticipated next week. So what do I do with the extra windfall? Nothing practical like paying off credit cards. Not for this addict. I'm getting me some pretty new ink. One is already set up and one isn't.

Mark's friend Kevin will be in town next week. I checked out his MySpace and really liked his portfolio. So Mark and I bantered back and forth and he's gonna call me when he gets in town and we'll see where things go from there. I've been batting around the idea of getting an old school lock tattoo. This was the closest I found to what I wanted:



I don't want the banner or the dagger. I want the heart shaped lock with a key and a rose behind it. The rose would be coming out of the right side as the viewer sees it. And all of that has to fit on the inside of my left ankle.

The one that is set in stone is another one by Danielle. I'm getting one of Picasso's doves of peace on my right foot with "Believe" underneath in the Picasso font.



That's set for May 8 at 8pm. Her availability on weekends is filling up fast, which is good news. I wish I had better availability at night, but it just doesn't happen. It's just as well because if this thing with Kevin pans out, then I'll probably have that done next Saturday. So it would probably be for the best to give myself a week off.

And for those keeping score at home, one week sober. Only 176 more days to go until I earn my diamond.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Stars, Diamonds, and Years Passing

This isn't going to start out sounding like a mod blog appropriate post, but it'll get there. Just hang on.

As some of you undoubtedly know or have heard in the past few days, I've been battling alcohol addiction and binge drinking for a while. I've received an amazing amount of support from all sides. Even people I barely know have stepped up to support me on what is going to be a long, hard road. I'm 4 days sober currently and feeling on a roll. I think you may know what comes next.

When I reach 6 months sober (falling off the wagon restarts the clock), I'm getting a diamond tattooed on my left hand between my thumb and index finger. I've wanted a hand tattoo for a while, but couldn't justify something that ballsy. I think marking 6 months sober is ballsy enough. In an absolutely flawless world, that would mean on October 18. Then at one year I'm getting a star on my right hand in roughly the same place. After that, every year will earn another star. Ideally, they'll go down toward the bottom of my thumb and start to wrap around my wrist and arm. It'll be quite the project after 20 years and an ongoing one. I can only imagine the looks I'll be getting when I'm 80 and asking for another star up my right arm. I know stars are cliche, but it seems like the right thing to mark each year. Only 361 more days to go!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Various Incendiary Things

I'm so ready for this damn scabbing to fall off of my spade. Srsly. I never thought I'd say this, but I want to wear a real bra again! *grumble* I'm gonna take a bubble bath in a bit and maybe that'll steam the rest of it off. At the risk of sounding like Mark...fucking bastard.

Got my ID back from Ink & Dagger. Chatted with Russ, Russ' client, and Kurt for a bit. Russ was making fun of my Yelp habit. You just watch it, Mister, I can bust balls too, ya know. It's one of my specialties. There's a new member coming to Ink & Dagger, but it's all a big secret. It should be announced in about two weeks who the new artiste will be. I wait with bated breath.

Forcing creativity kind of sucks. I know I want to expand both my chest piece and Lucius. Ideally I'd like to turn Lucius into a half sleeve, but I'm not sure what else to put with him. I've been assured it'll come to me. I'm just not that patient. The same is true for my chest. I started with Britney & Christina so I would have space to expand. Of course, I'd also probably have to have my dermal removed since I've heard tattooing near one can actually force it out. Might need to do a bit more research on that, though. I'm batting around a few ideas for that area. I know I want a lot of color and I guess I'd need to figure out how to work red and black into something other than...well...red and black. I'm debating if I want to do a traditional banner that's flanked with flowers or if I just want to do flowers. There are blue accents behind the girls, so that could be a jumping off point.

Still haven't called Alex's to cancel my convention appointment. Urg. I hate making those kinds of phone calls. It's gotta be done, though. Blech.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Lucius Part 2

My lovely Lucius is finished. He looks fantastic. Kurt spent a lot of time working on details and making him the best he could look. I'm so thrilled. No pictures yet as I forgot my camera (again) and Kurt didn't want to take any until he's healed. I'll try to get something in the next few days, though.

The experience itself was fine. I hadn't eaten in almost 7 hours by the time he tattooed me, which is a huge no-no. I never felt dizzy or nauseous, but I'm an old pro. I wouldn't recommend it as a good idea at all. I didn't actually end up getting food until almost 11 because I got pulled over, but that's another story for another time. Fact was, I didn't pass out or even so much as feel unsteady. I kept having to change positions because my butt kept falling asleep. That was probably the only irritating part of it. That and he stuck to the inside of my cardigan so now I'm going to have to wash it. Fortunately, he didn't stick to my friend's sheets or futon last night.

No more plans in the pipeline until May 16. Then I think I'll go to Mark and we'll get serious about covering up my foot. The warmer the weather gets, the better it is to get a foot piece. I'm also considering taking a few days off anyway as a mini vacation, so perhaps I'll work that into my time off. That's assuming I don't get a new job that doesn't give a happy rat's ass if I have tattoos or not.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Say What You Need to Say

I haven't forgotten about you, dear readers. I just *gasp* haven't had anything to say!

The spade is healing okay. It got nice and crusty, so I'm doing my best to keep the scabs soft. I like to lay on my stomach when I'm on my laptop, so it's annoying to have them crack every time I move. I suppose I shouldn't be expecting miracles when it's only 5 days old.

Lucius will be finished on Friday night. Kurt said between an hour and two of work left. I figure I'll assume two and prepare myself for such. I'm sure he'll be even better than I imagined. I'll also try to remember my camera so he can be documented when he's still fresh. :)

Still haven't heard from anyone at Memorial in spite of sending an email and leaving a message. I guess I'll just show up on May 16 and see what happens. I'm probably just being overly paranoid again. I'm sure there's no ulterior motives or hard feelings about me changing my appointment. I want the tattoo and he wants the income. It's in my best interest to go through with it, otherwise I'm out $100. That's not good, now is it? I'm sure I'm just imagining things and it'll be a great experience.

Somewhat related to that Jason is moving from Ink & Dagger to Memorial this summer. This would be the third tattooist who's moved from I & D to Memorial. Maybe Russ smells funny? Who knows? I'd be interested to hear more about why that is. Of course, I'm nosy like that.

In other news, I've been spreading the gospel of tattooing on Yahoo Answers. There's a ridiculous amount of bad information on there. I'm just doing my part to correct some of that. I also really like the opinion questions because then I can bash tribals and Chinese characters guilt free.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Adventures in Tattooing




A few photos from yesterday. They're actually reversed, which is a bit annoying, but whatever.

Jenn and I started at Ink & Dagger. They'd actually already finished talking about her tattoo by the time I got there. We hung out there for about an hour just chatting. I confirmed with Kurt that we'll be finishing Lucius on Friday night. Then it was off to Only You, Danielle's new shop.

We got there early, but that didn't seem to bother any of them. They're all super nice and I'd trust any of them to work on me. It took a while to get the placement perfect because of the banner, but once we got it, it was cake from there. I'd expected a lot more pain, honestly. There were a few spots that stung a little, but overall, it was a very easy experience. Of course, now I can't wear a bra for a few days, but who cares? I don't think the cats mind. So if you're thinking about getting your lower sternum tattooed, it's really not that bad. Just try to keep your breathing even and don't laugh. It was definitely one of the easiest experiences I've had to date, but it's also fairly small. I think it only took her 20-25 minutes to do the whole thing. Ah the joys of small tattoos.

Danielle was also nice enough to let us bounce some ideas off her. I threw out the idea for my tramp stamp and she gave me a lot of things to think about. It could end up being both a slightly cheesy, but really awesome tattoo. Once I think on it more, I may go back to her and have her refine it and ultimately do it. We'll see.

In other news, I contacted Sacred Heart about the convention. The artist I want to work on me said to contact her about a week before the convention so she knows when she'll be working. Her old school work looks solid. I've been thinking of getting a gypsy head and she's got a Medusa head in her portfolio that looks to be about what I'm looking for. If they have a "Bad Tattoo" category in the competitions, I've been informed that I'm entering it with Ol' Blue Balls. Oh my how awesome that could be.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Secrets and Lies

I cannot keep a secret to bless myself. I swear.

Jen (a co-worker of mine from BBW) and I are getting inked on Friday night by Danielle. She's getting a penguin in one of three possible spots and I'm getting a spade (like the playing card) with the number 13 in it on my sternum/diaphragm area. Since there will be two of us for the first time since I got oh...my fourth tattoo or so...pictures are going to happen. I need to remember to put fresh batteries in my camera.

Prior to that, we're headed over to Ink & Dagger so she can get a consult with Russ. Since he doesn't charge for consults and he's not afraid to give an honest opinion, I figured it couldn't hurt for her to bounce a few ideas off him. She has a decent idea of what she wants and I'm sure he'll help to refine it all further.

Haven't heard from Phil or Lee about my appointment bumping. I'm sure they just didn't feel the need to confirm the change. I still feel bad and I know appointment changes and the like happen all the time. At least I had the decency to call and reschedule rather than just not show up at all. Mark gets really pissed when that happens and understandably so. Phil will absolutely get my money, just two months later than originally planned. Goddamn life getting in the way.

What do we think of gun tattoos? Like an Old West revolver type tattoo? All manner of opinions are welcomed. Come out of the woodwork, loyal readers! I want to hear your thoughts.

Something like this:



Or

Monday, April 6, 2009

Vampire Bunnies and Painted Ladies

If it were kosher to steal a tattoo, I would totally steal this one:

today vegetables tomorrow the world

I was obsessed with Bunnicula as a kid. I don't know who this person is who got this tattoo, but s/he is my hero. I wonder if I can convince Danielle to modify it for me so it's not outright stealing, just a homage?

Speaking of Danielle, she'll be working on me in the near future. Of course I couldn't find the damn picture that was my inspiration, but she knew what I was talking about. She seems super sweet and I already know she's got talent. I'm really looking forward to meeting her and working with her. Plus, it's nice to support ladies in the industry and new business owners.

Lucy's still itchy and peeling. I'm kind of over it now. I'd really prefer that she just be finished healing. *sigh* I'll be sure to put some Benadryl cream on her before I go to bed. It was really damn distracting last night. Ol' Blue Balls could probably use some as well. Though he doesn't bother me nearly as much. Probably because he takes up less space. Or I'm just deluding myself into thinking he's less itchy because Lucy itches so damn much. *whine*

I can't wait until Ol' Blue Balls is healed. Then I can have bubble baths again. Joy. At least until we put the pirate hat on him...

Sunday, April 5, 2009

She's Blushing!

As seems to be my Sunday routine, I spent most of the day in tattoo shops. First I went to Ink & Dagger to chat with Kurt and work out a time to get Lucius finished. He's super nice about everything. We've tentatively set time for 6pm on April 17 and there's 1.5-2 hrs of work left. He needs to finish his tail and then he said there are some general things he wants to tinker with. So keep an eye out there.

Russ agreed to add a pirate hat on Ol' Blue Balls. That may happen around the same time. He said he was down with it. No one can believe I actually went through with it. Life is too short not to have a ridiculous tattoo. Or two. Or one with a pirate hat. Arg matey.

Then I went over to GFY to show Mark our antics. He was tattooing, so I kinda had to flash Andrew and him. He gave me a look and I blushed. I NEVER blush. There's only one other person in the world who can make me blush. Of course, when Mark pointed out I was blushing it made me blush more because I was thinking of said other person who can make me blush without even trying. Oh so funny. And probably the first time I've been embarrassed in a long time. I hung out there for a while, looked through the latest Prick (still hotter than the cover girl), and then went on my merry way. I need to schedule time to talk about my foot in a serious way.

In other news, I want to get my sternum tattooed. I have no idea what I want, but I'm sure it'll come to me. I've learned to just let the inspiration flow. Rushing things results in cover ups and that's totally no fun. Plus, you can't exactly tattoo on boobs very well. So I guess we'll see what develops on that front.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

New Plans, Yet Again

So time for a totally new plan on the tattoo front. I discovered yesterday that my tax refund won't be here until much later. So the new plan is to cancel my appointment with Phil so I can still afford to go to Roanoke. I also want to go ahead and get my foot cover up started. Since Mark doesn't charge nearly as much as Russ or Phil, I can afford to get that moving at least. I also have to get Kurt to finish Lucius. I'll know more about that tomorrow. I don't think there's really that much work left, which is fortunate.

Ideally, I'll get Lucius finished in the next few weeks, then start on my foot cover up, then get tattooed at the convention in Roanoke. Then I'll see if I have the money to pay Phil to work on Alice. I definitely don't want to miss out on my trip to Roanoke, not just because of the convention, but because I haven't seen my BFF since last June.

Lucy is peeling like crazy. She looks pretty gross. I hope she'll look better tomorrow when I go to show her off to everyone.

Client requested a Gothic Puppet.

Yay pictures!!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Lucy Part 2

So now for the real post that everyone has been waiting for.

Tuesday night was the drop dead date for Lucy's second session. I called Mark the night before to remind him that I was going to be there and he should show up. I got there right at 7 and Russ was setting up for me. There was another chick getting tattooed on her hip and she went way overboard with privacy IMO. They had the room sealed off and a screen up inside the room. Seriously? Honey it's not like your cooter is hanging out. But whatever. Maybe I'm just immodest.

We got to tattooing around 7:40 and I was starting to get a bit miffed that Mark hadn't showed up yet. Of course, I forgot that his concept of time is very different from most peoples'. He's on tattooist time, which I think is somewhat like being on GMT or something. Russ wasn't happy that I "ratted him out" for his singing/humming/making noise along with the music last time. We bickered about that all night it seems. Every time he would hum/sing/make noise along with music he'd go "Not singing!". (Sorry Russ, the story was just too good not to share!).

Mark rolled in about 8:30 when Russ was bantering with a flash seller. I admit, I was glad to see the cranky Brit. He kept me distracted for a good hour. I'd forgotten how nice it is to have someone there to distract you. Russ had a lot of work left to do all over my arm, so I was getting work done in some pretty tender places. Him laughing at me or observing habits he's never noticed before were a welcome distraction. It was at some point during this time that we were introduced to the "tittie skull". I remember Mark was still there because he was laughing along with the rest of us. He ran off before Russ finished, so he hasn't gotten to see what she looks like in all her glory.

After a little under 2.5 hours of tattooing and almost 3 hours of being there, Lucy was done. He bandaged me up and then we launched into the antics mentioned in the previous entry. For those waiting with bated breath, he is 100% real. I call him "Ol' Blue Balls" for short, like a pirate. I actually want to see if Russ will give him a pirate hat. I mean, how much more ridiculous can you get than a dick skull? Not much, methinks.

Oh and Mommums said that Lucy looked creepy. I was like "That's the point" and she was like "I didn't think she'd be that creepy". Score!

And for fun, a few quotes taken out of context that made me laugh:

Me-"As you can see, my legs are wide open" (I was wearing a skirt)

Russ-"It's like tattooing on a Goddamn trampoline!"

Mark-"You need to stop wiggling"
Me-"He's fine"
Mark-"Yeah, because he's leaning on you"

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Skulls and Private Parts

So Russ absolutely insisted I blog about this so here goes.

Last night went from normal tattooing session to one for the history books in about 10 minutes. While Russ was finishing up Lucy, he felt the need to show off one of his particular specialties reserved for a select few. It is...the "tittie skull" (and my spell checker seems to think there's another way to spell "tittie"). I give you the appropriate visual aid.



He had about 4 of them in various shapes and configurations and we all got a good laugh. The conversation somehow degenerated into something like this:
Me: I want one!
Russ: Seriously?
Me: Yeah! Come on! If you're up for it, I'm up for it!
Russ: But you're a girl, you can't have a tittie skull, you need a dick skull!
Me: Go for it!

And thus I was officially inducted into the private part skull club. The way to get a free tattoo is to hang around long enough and let the tattooist have his way with you. If you're willing to let him do whatever he wants, you can have a free tat. I was laughing so hard for most of the time he was tattooing me, he was like "It's like tattooing on a Goddamn trampoline!". That, of course, made me laugh harder. He finished in about 20 minutes and the end result was absolutely hysterical. I literally burst out laughing about every 5 minutes on the drive home.

So without further ado I give you Dick "Blue Balls" Johnson, the founding member of the Dick Skull Club.



Happy April Fool's, kids!